Pacific Halibut Management Meeting Agenda and Plan Review
Review and finalize proposals for the 2023 halibut season, discuss catch sharing plans, and establish season structures to maximize fishing opportunity while adhering to subarea quotas. The meeting agenda covers introductions, catch summaries, season analyses, and future steps towards managing Pacific Halibut effectively.
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Pacific Halibut Plan 2023 October 4, 2022 Heather Hall and Lorna Wargo WDFW Intergovernmental Ocean Policy
Agenda 5:00 5:15 pm Introductions/Purpose of the Meeting/Review Agenda Purpose: Review discussion from August meeting including the preliminary 2022 catch summary, review the proposals and analysis for the 2023 halibut season, and discuss final recommendations. 5:15 5:30 pm Review IPHC Areas, Catch Sharing Plan, and halibut management history 5:30 6:00 pm Review 2022 catch and analysis of alternatives 6:00 7:00 pm Discuss 2023 season structure, finalize season dates 7:00 7:30 pm Next steps 2023 Catch Sharing Plan Final Action PFMC November 2-8, 2022, Hybrid Pacific Halibut is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 3 IPHC Interim Meeting, November 30 Dec 1, Webinar IPHC Annual Meeting, January 24 28, TBD 7:30 pm ADJOURN
Catch Sharing Plan Management Goals 1. Establish season structures for each subarea that maximize fishing opportunity and achieve but not exceed subarea quotas. 2. Flexibility through timely inseason action(s), such as opening additional fishing days or shifting quotas between subareas, may be necessary to achieve the overall Washington sport allocation and fishery objectives.
2022 Catch Sharing Plan Objectives All Sub-areas Season dates will be developed at the end of November each year for the following year Open up to 3 days per week April, May, June; may include at least one weekday and one weekend day If quota remains after final open day in June, additional openings may be implemented in August and September Sub-area specific Puget Sound earliest date to open April 1 Coastal subareas earliest date to open April 30 Columbia River season dates coordinated with Oregon, no Saturdays Columbia River Nearshore open Monday Wednesday following opening of the all- depth fishery through September 30 or until 500 lb. quota attained South Coast Nearshore May open if balance of primary fishery quota is insufficient for a full fishing day, open first Saturday after closure of primary fishery, seven days per week until quota taken
Review Season Length (days) 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 North Coast Westport Columbia River Puget Sound Avg 2010-2014 Avg 2015-2019
WDFW Season Setting Principles Avoid effort shift: continue to align fishing days as much as possible, particularly Columbia River/ South Coast and North Coast/Sekiu to maximize season length and fishing opportunity Provide advance notice of season dates to allow anglers to plan rather than add dates inseason Provide more fishing opportunity in areas where catch was below the subarea allocation Recognize traditional days if possible (e.g., North Coast: Thu/Sat, South Coast: Sun/Thu, MA 5: Memorial Day derby)
2022 Catch Summary Subarea Subarea quota Total Catch% of Quota Caught Puget Sound* 83,210 64,778 78% North Coast 133,847 96,208 72% South Coast 68,555 71,202 104% Columbia River (WA & OR) 18,537 20,210 109% Columbia River Nearshore 500 43 9% Total 304,649 252,442 83% *Does not include Puget Sound Area 7-10 July-September
Alternatives Approved for Public Review Puget Sound 5 or 7 days per week South Coast 3 days per week in May North Coast and Columbia River Status Quo Not included in the Catch Sharing Plan: Bag limit - Increase to 6 fish per year
Analysis Coast Subarea North Coast 133,847 South Coast Columbia River 68,555 11,799 6 5,387 13 Subarea Quota (2022; "High") Maximum Daily Catch (2022) Potential Days Average Daily Catch (2022) Potential Days 18,537 2,642 4,921 27 7 1,472 1,093 91 17 Average Daily Catch (2018, 2019, 2021) 7,675 7,896 2,027 Potential Days 17 9 9
Proposal for Discussion Coast Marine Area 1: May 4 through May 21: 2-days per week, Thursday, and Sunday Memorial Day weekend: Thursday, May 25 June 1 through June 25: 2-days per week, Thursday and Sunday, and Thursday, June 29 Marine Area 2: May 4 21: 3 days per week, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday, and Tuesday, May 30 If sufficient quota remains: June 15, 18 (Thursday, Sunday) and June 22, 25 (Thursday, Sunday) Marine 3 and 4: May 4 through May 21: 2-days per week, Thursday, and Saturday Memorial Day weekend: Friday, May 26 and Sunday, May 28 June 1 through June 24: 2-days per week, Thursday and Saturday, and Thursday, June 29 All Areas: If quota remains after June 30, consider August and September dates.
Analysis Puget Sound Area 5, 6-10 Assumed Subarea Allocation: 77,550 High Catch 2018-2022 2,364 33 Med Catch 2019-2022 1,902 41 Low Catch 2021-2022 1,600 48 Year Range Average Daily Catch Potential Days Open on: 4/6/2023 Open through: 7 days per week 5/8/2023 5/16/2023 5/24/2023 5 days per week 5/20/2023 6/1/2023 6/10/2023 Open on: 4/13/2023 Open through: 7 days per week 5/15/2023 5/23/2023 5/31/2023 5 days per week *Through date does not account for potential adjustments around Memorial Day weekend. 5/27/2023 6/8/2023 6/17/2023
Proposal for Discussion Puget Sound Marine Area 5, 6-10 Open all areas at the same time. April 6 through May 22: 5-days per week, Thursday-Monday Memorial Day weekend: Friday through Sunday, May 26, 27, 28 June 1 through June 30: 7-days per week If quota remains after June 30, consider August and September dates
Comments Facebook Number indicates posts and/or thumbs up response Open areas 6-10 early and make it 7 days a week from the start. We never meet our quota in that area, and by end of May the dogfish have moved in so bad it's almost impossible to fish halibut anyway. Can we get August dates again in area 3 and 4? It is so nice to be able to get out and have fun in the sun! 13 1 2 Summer halibut has been a blast! 2 Was great having summer fishing this year! EMAIL Puget Sound: Recommend a 7-days a week beginning in mid-April. This would allow anglers to fish on the best weather days and avoid days with bad weather/unsafe conditions. Because the sport harvest quota has gone unfilled in recent years, there is no reason to restrict access to this fishery to preserve quota to prolong the season. Extending the halibut season into August and September does not provide a good opportunity to increase sport harvest of halibut in Puget Sound due to the increased activity/abundance of dogfish during the warmer periods. Finally, trading unused halibut sport quota from Puget Sound to coastal areas unfairly shifts opportunity away from fishers who live in or prefer to fish in the more protected Puget Sound areas. This trading of quota also favors coastal charter operators over Puget Sound private boat anglers. Allowable bait: The bottom fish/halibut regulations should be amended to allow for use of sand dabs as halibut bait in waters greater than 120 feet deep in Puget Sound. There is no conservation reason (i.e., reduced potential bycatch of rockfish) to prohibit possession/use of sand dabs as bait for halibut in Puget Sound. Phone messages and email: Great to have a six fish bag limit.
2023 Recommendation Puget Sound Open MA 5, 6-10 in April Five or seven days per week Coast: South Coast: three days per week in May, four additional days noticed in June North Coast and Columbia River: status quo All Areas: Option for seven days per week in August and September
Plan 2023 Wrap Up Questions Next Steps o November PFMC Meeting o IPHC Meetings Thank you for attending!
Information https://iphc.int/data/landings-2022 Landing updates IPHC https://iphc.int/data/landings-2022 https://iphc.int/data/landings-2022 https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/halibut Lorna.Wargo@dfw.wa.gov Halibut and Bottomfish Regulations/Landing updates https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/halibut WDFW Lorna Wargo 360.581.5611 Lorna.Wargo@dfw.wa.gov
2023 April May June S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 July August September S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 27 28 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31
